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Bellingham council OKs sale of small Cornwall parcel contingent on large Lake Whatcom land purchase
Summary
Council held a public hearing and approved declaring a triangular remnant parcel at Cornwall Avenue and E. Pine Street surplus and selling it to Farmview LLC for $7,500, and later authorized closing on a separate 754.02-acre Lake Whatcom watershed purchase from Nielsen Brothers Inc.
The Bellingham City Council declared a small remnant parcel at the corner of Cornwall Avenue and East Pine Street surplus and approved its sale to Farmview LLC, an affiliate of Nielsen Brothers Inc., for an appraised value of $7,500, subject to the city retaining a sewer easement. Council later authorized the mayor to close a separate purchase-and-sale for 754.02 acres of Lake Whatcom watershed property from Nielsen Brothers Inc., with a total purchase price and associated estimated taxes specified in the transaction paperwork.
At a public hearing, Joel Funt, interim public works director, described the Cornwall parcel as triangular, about 4,792 square feet, surrounded by railroad tracks and streets, and most useful as an add-on to adjacent property. Matt Stamps, Senior Assistant City Attorney, said the surplus-sale process followed the city's surplus property code and that public-works staff recommended retaining a sewer easement to preserve access to the sewer main that runs along the parcel's inside border.
Paul Schisler, a resident who signed up to comment, said the city should generally retain public property but supported selling the parcel to the adjacent owner because the city has no other use for it and because the buyer has agreed to work with the Kaipana outrigger canoe club, which currently uses the site under a seasonal license. Council Member Lisa Anderson moved approval of the surplus declaration and sale; Dan Hamill seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote, 7-0.
In executive-session follow-up later in the meeting, council authorized the mayor to close the city's purchase of the 754.02-acre watershed tract from Nielsen Brothers Inc. The council motion spelled out the purchase price, estimated designated forest land compensating tax of $184,412 and estimated real estate excise tax of $96,830, with a closing targeted on or around Feb. 14, 2025. Council approved the authorization by voice vote, 7-0.
City staff told council the watershed acquisition is part of ongoing efforts to protect Lake Whatcom, the drinking-water source for more than 100,000 people. Stamps said the surplus sale of the small Cornwall parcel is related to that larger watershed transaction; the sale is to the same owner or an affiliate and helps facilitate the broader closing. Funt said the city's lift station sits just outside the small parcel and that retaining a sewer easement would maintain necessary utility access.
The sale documents and the purchase agreement for the watershed property were treated as connected transactions during the meeting; council approved both pieces separately through the motions recorded on the public record. Council did not discuss further terms of long-term use for the canoe club beyond that the club has made arrangements with the potential purchaser to remain on the property for the time being.
Council President Holly Huffman presided over the public hearing and the later executive-session motion to authorize closing on the watershed purchase.
